


Blue Tigers and Unseen Snakes

by RaenUE



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Under Night In-Birth (Video Game)
Genre: CW for brief but graphic body horror (not enough for an M rating though), Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, but I might not be a good judge of that so uh buyer beware or something, it's in chapter 4 and if you get to where it says 'it hurts' you can skip the rest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 22:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16753003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaenUE/pseuds/RaenUE
Summary: Merkava’s arms are perfect for giving hugs.Mordecai is great at being hugged.Will fate allow this match made in heaven to happen?





	1. Ophidiophobia

Merkava lamented his body, the form his existence took.

As a Void he craved EXS, the very energy that formed the world around him, yet his transformation into this immortal, ghoulish form somehow remained incomplete, leaving him with his ability to think, to reason, to understand the consequences of his actions.

How ironic, he mused, that the thirst for power that his previous, less monstrous form possessed left him nothing but an insatiable desire to consume and the capacity to regret.

There was no point in fighting his base instincts, so he pursued In-Births that possessed the EXS that he so desperately sought. If he emerged from his frenzy victorious, he would be blessed with the sustenance he needed to continue existing. And if he failed? If his mark had the skills required to bring an end to his monthly slaughter?

At least the night after night after night after night of passionless consumption would be replaced by the release of death.

Consume, or be consumed.

Merkava had no other options, no other way of life to pursue.

That’s why when he encountered a freshly reborn In-Birth who in their inexperience allowed their EXS ability, ‘Valac, the EXS of Transference’, to run wild and send him to another world, he was relatively unperturbed.

It _was_ irresponsible to send your problems far away, but as long as he was able to feed, it did not pose a significant bother to Merkava.

This new world, which Merkava would later discover was named ‘Tellius’, was filled to brim with EXS for him to feed upon. That sickly-sweet smell that drove him into a frenzy permeated every inch of this land, and he found himself in a dense forest, the air heavy with moisture. The night was hot and cloudless, revealing a starry sky unlike what he had ever seen in Kanzakai.

Once the surprise of being transported ‘elsewhere’ faded, Merkava set about to find someone to prey upon. Despite this being a world which overflowed with EXS, he needed to absorb it through another sentient living being, just like how his presumably human form -whatever it may have been- would get little more than a sore jaw if he tried taking a bite out of a tree. If he was unable to feed during the next few times he manifested, he would cease to exist, and well before that would ever become a concern he would likely lose himself to the hunger.

And thus, Merkava he began his hunt.

He soared through the air in the direction the EXC seemed to be the densest, leaping from tree branch to tree branch. Back in the city, the high-rise buildings allowed him to quickly gain elevation and perform reconnaissance with ease, but that was no longer an option here. This forest lacked any trees that stood well above any other, but at least it was dense enough that he had no trouble finding branches to swing from to maintain his momentum.

With the speed he traveled, his search was over quickly. He happened upon a man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, traveling alone along a road that cut through the forest. He had the distinct scent of an In-Birth, but Merkava had sensed no other Voids since he had arrived, which begged some questions that at this very moment Merkava didn’t consider a priority to answer.

He landed behind the man, and slowly stood up, casting a long shadow. His arms rested loosely upon the ground, and his mane flapped in the gentle breeze. In an attempt to seem less imposing so gathering the answers he sought would painless as possible, he kept his posture slouched, but there was still no guarantee this man wouldn’t be able to smite him the first chance he got.

Upon noticing the shadow enveloping him that hadn’t been there the moment before, the man came to a stop, clutching the staff in his hands tighter than ever. His body trembled, and as if paralyzed with fear, refused to turn around.

Merkava had no throat to clear, so he took the initiative and started the conversation.

“Pardon,” his distorted voice caused the terrified man to jump, “I appear to be lost, do you think you could answer a few questions?”

The man swallowed to rid himself of the lump in his throat and puffed up his chest, before slowly turning around to face Merkava.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you startled me a bit-”

Upon processing the ghastly form that stood before him, the man dropped all pretenses of courage and ran off, screaming.

Merkava waited a few moments before he jumped to intercept the man, a bit amused but nonetheless inconvenienced by his rampant fear. While Merkava was in the air, the man looked behind himself and came to a halt when he realized Merkava had disappeared. He looked around,

He landed silently on the other side of the man as his back was turned, and spoke up once again.

“I don’t mean to scare you, kind sir-”

The man fell back and tried to scurry away, his yelling as incessant as it was loud.

“I understand that my appearance may be uncommon in this land, but I have some questions and I’d be appreciative if you answered them.”

The man came to an immediate halt. He slowly turned his head, his body still trembling in fear.

“Y-you can speak?”

The man’s tone conveyed his bewilderment, as if the idea of a monster with the capacity for speech was in and of itself inconceivable.

Though, to be fair, Merkava had received plenty of similar reactions in Kanzakai.

“It seems so.”

The man let out a sigh of relief and his body relaxed almost immediately.

“I, er… apologize for my behavior. As silly as it sounds now, I was afraid you were going kill me since Laguz usually don’t transform unless they’re on the hunt, but if you’re lost I’ll answer any questions you have to the best of my abilities.”

What a foolish man, Merkava thought, thinking that he was safe solely because the creature in front of him could hold a conversation. He took note of the mention of ‘Laguz’ as something to learn about later.

“Thank you. What land is this?”

“You’re right in the middle of Tellius, close to the border between Crimea and Gallia. How’d you manage to wander this far in without realizing you were lost?”

“I am… unsure of the means by which I arrived here,” Merkava lied through his teeth, seeking to conceal any information that may identify himself to anyone else who might have been or would be sent here from Kanzakai, “Are you, by chance, an In-Birth?”

The man blinked.

“Pardon?”

Ah, right. They may be called something else here.

“Are there… individuals who are capable of feats of magic in this land?”

“Oh, of course! There are a fair amount of mages, and even a minor priest like myself can do some healing magic!”

The man perked up at the chance to toot his own horn.

“Ah, so perhaps this land will not be too unfamiliar to me,” Merkava paused for a moment.

Aside from the comment about them transforming, it seemed that Laguz might be considered this world’s analogue to Voids, and in turn there were mages that were equivalent to the In-Births Merkava was familiar with. He’d have to gather more info to be sure, but there was probable cause to believe that there were indeed people in this land capable of exterminating Voids, and Merkava would in turn have to tread carefully to ensure his own survival.

“I’d hate to keep you any longer than I already have, but is there anywhere nearby where I’d be able seek out more information?”

“The nearest settlement is roughly five days to the south, but with the speed you can move you might make it there within a day!” the man said with a laugh.

“Maybe so.”

“If you have nothing else to ask me, then I shall bid you farewell. Godspeed in your travels!”

The man waved as he turned and continued on his way.

Merkava watched him walk off, but before he took more than a few paces the man stopped to turn back.

“Do you have anything to eat? I can share some of my rations if you don’t think you’ll be able to make it into town.”

‘Ah, he hasn’t figured it out yet. I suppose I should let him down gently.’

“Though I hunger, I want not for sustenance.”

The priest looked at Merkava, confused. Slowly, a look of realization appeared upon his face as the weight of Merkava’s words set in and he began to tremble once more.

“Please, sir, I beg you; spare the village I have directed you towards. Take my life if you must, but they have done nothing wrong.”

How noble, to try to martyr himself to spare others.

“I should not need to feed more than once per night, so feasting upon them would be… inefficient.”

Merkava adjusted his posture, towering over the cowering man.

“And fear not. I am appreciative of the answers you have given me and, in thanks, will ensure I do not consume more than you could recover from. My endless lust to devour with surely punish me for this, but tonight will not be the day you die.”


	2. Thankfully, Cats Have Nine Lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the previous chapter: Merkava got the munchies and scares a priest shortly after being transported to Tellius.

Weeks passed, each night giving Merkava ample opportunity to both feed to his heart’s content and learn more about the world he found himself in.

The density of EXS in the air allowed him to manifest during the day if he so chose, but he was not used to the harsh summer sunlight, so he rested during the day so he could hunt without fatigue during the night. As far as Merkava had been able to discern there was no phenomenon comparable to the Hollow Night, so while he had manifested roughly twenty times since his arrival in Tellius, only three weeks had passed in ‘real time’ instead of nearly two years. He was -for all intents and purposes- allowed to manifest freely, unconstrained from the once-a-month feeding he was restricted to back in Kanzakai, and the idea of it thrilled him to bits.

Merkava had no strong feelings towards the idea of an afterlife, let alone one that rewarded or punished its residents, but if he allowed himself to wax poetic on the subject he wouldn’t feel opposed to comparing his current situation to ‘heaven’.

He found that, because he didn’t have to wait a month between feeding, the hunger that always existed within him was weaker. He was still driven to feed upon EXS every night, but he would be momentarily satisfied by feeding upon a single being long enough for him to ignore it for a day or two. The hunger returned with a vengeance soon enough, but it still was far less of a compelling force than what he experienced in Kanzakai, allowing him to exist almost as if he were not a Void if he managed to quell the rest of his hunger.

Tonight was like any other night. The air was slowly cooling from the daytime summer heat,

From his perch atop a tree Merkava sniffed the air for wherever the EXS was thickest.

He had stayed in the same general area, around the border between Gallia and Crimea. There was considerable traffic along the roads, even at night, and he discovered it was primarily because of business and diplomatic relationships established prior to the current period of peacetime.

Of course, ‘considerable traffic’ was relative; he was still in the middle of nowhere so people were spread thin along the roads, but Merkava had no problem finding a meal each night.

The continent had been enveloped in a war a few years back, but these days the only danger people faced would be the few brigand groups that remained on the continent. This land seemed to be more along the lines of some sort of fantasy novel rather than the modern world Merkava hailed from. If he didn’t know better, he’d assume this was some type of a dream, but the sensations he experienced were undeniably real.

It seemed like the mages and holy folk were the people with the highest density of EXS in this land; like with In-Births, increased levels of EXS seemed to lead to a higher capacity for magic, which meant that the tastiest of meals would always be able to put up a fight.

He had yet to meet anyone who posed any threat, however.

Having pinpointed the direction where the EXS seemed to be flowing from, Merkava steadied himself on the branch he was perched on in preparation to jump from it, and-

“Are you the one who has been hurting people?”

A voice that, while marred with stilted diction, was without fear called out from below him.

Merkava looked down to see a young man standing at the base of the tree. His body was large and bulky, not quite to the degree that Waldstein, but nonetheless far beyond the levels a normal human. Merkava caught a glimpse of a tail attached to this man, so perhaps this was one of the Laguz he had heard of…?

“I feed upon the EXS the people of this land possess to fuel my own existence. If you seek revenge, know that it will not be easy.”

Merkava sighed.

This was bound to happen. Leaving his prey alive would allow them to tell their tale later on, and any civilization worth its weight in gold would try to eliminate any entity that posed a threat to its civilians. The only thing he could do was deal with these responses as they came.

He leaped to the ground, arms trailing in the air behind him like streamers on the handlebars of a child’s bicycle that has been thrown off a cliff.

“Before we continue, I have a question: are you one of the oft-spoken of Laguz? I’ve been interested in meeting one of you.”

“…You are not a Laguz?”

“I would not call myself one, no. But should I take that as a yes?”

The man’s brow furrowed.

“Are you… hurting too?”

“I have been cursed with this form, with the insatiable desire to consume, but it is no matter. Until someone with the strength to end me comes to do so, it is how I shall live.”

“You are cursed?”

“It was a figure of speech. I used to be human, but I am no longer.”

“I am named Mordecai. I may know someone who can help you.”

“Oh?” Merkava let out a low chuckle, “And what if I don’t feel that I need to be ‘saved’, Mordecai?”

“You are hurting people, but I do not want to hurt you.”

“I told you that I won’t go down without a fight, didn’t I?”

“You have the same scent as Bertram. Reyson should be able to relieve your pain. Should I petition the king to request his assistance…?” Mordecai was lost in thought, a foolish course of action to take in the presence of Merkava.

“I am not in pain, but perhaps you can relieve my hunger!” Merkava roared and threw his arms forward to grab Mordecai.

Mordecai, without looking up, jumped to the side to dodge the limbs flying towards him. He seemed almost… disinterested as his body grew closer and closer to the ground, but Merkava paid it no mind. If he was unable to perceive how much of a threat Merkava was, then he would have to learn the hard way. Mordecai looked like he could take a quite the beating, and, itching for a good fight, Merkava was all too happy to give it to him.

Merkava redirected his arms to wrap around Mordecai as he fell. Around and around, they wrapped him up like a cocoon, binding his arms to his body. Merkava pulled his arms taught, and then yanked Mordecai, bringing him off his feet and sending him flying towards Merkava as he retracted his arms. At the last moment, Merkava jumped and flipped forward, narrowly missing Mordecai.

The two locked eyes as Mordecai passed below Merkava.

“You are a strange Laguz.”

Merkava had a moment of doubt, of second guessing his choice of so brazenly attacking a creature that he had been compared to without fully understanding why, but he knew it was too late. He had already committed to swinging Mordecai above his head and slamming him into the ground, and it was far too late to back out.

And so he followed through.

The torque from his spinning body caused his arms to bend as Mordecai continued to fly behind him until the tension caught up to him and lifted him further and further from the ground. Mordecai’s body was massive, putting a lot of strain on Merkava’s shoulders as his trajectory was altered into an arc above Merkava, but once he passed the apex Merkava could let gravity take its course and have him crash into the ground with far more force than Merkava could have exerted on his own. He preemptively braced himself for the impact and-

Out of his sight, Mordecai’s body shifted from one shape to another and slipped from Merkava’s grip as he neared the top of the arc.

Not expecting that sensation, Merkava immediately looked up to where his arms were and was surprised to see a large, blue cat -perhaps a tiger?- flying through the air.

“Eh?”

It took Merkava a moment to process that he had just flung Mordecai hundreds of kilometers into the distance, far beyond what he could travel before Mordecai would make himself scarce.

Assuming he survived, of course.

“I may be going hungry tonight,” he grumbled, displeased at his hand in this inconvenient turn of events.

His moping was cut off as he caught a whiff of a very delectable flavor of EXS, and he wasted no time in setting out in search for what might be his best meal yet.


	3. Cats are like a hydra. Get rid of one and two more pop up in its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the previous chapter: Merkava yeets Mordecai halfway across Tellius.

A day passed.

Merkava, like usual, rested while the sun was up. The previous night’s dinner left him full, allowing him to sleep filled with both EXS and contentment, but his encounter with Mordecai clung to him, leaving his satisfaction tinged with a hint of worry.

He may have squandered his only opportunity to free himself from this incessant hunger; he, quite literally, threw away his only indication that this ‘curse’ could be lifted in the frenzy brought upon by encountering the first person in a long while who seemed to stand a fighting chance against him. His bloodlust got the better of him, and, since there was no way to confirm Mordecai’s survival, it may have destroyed any chance of getting rid of his

Worse yet, Mordecai -despite appearing before him offering his assistance- had nonetheless approached Merkava because he had been feeding upon innocent passerby. If Mordecai had died upon being reunited with the ground, it would be easy to justify dropping any pretenses of negotiation with Merkava and he’d encounter considerable retaliation in response. Because of that, he could hardly seek out the ‘king’ that Mordecai mentioned in order to contact the ‘Reyson’ that had cured ‘Bertram’.

Furthermore, Mordecai had transformed into a very large cat without warning, and Merkava had no understanding of if this was a trait shared across all Laguz, or if each Laguz had their own ‘ability’. Since Merkava had been mistaken for a Laguz he could almost entirely be sure that there were Laguz that could transform into beings other than cats, but beyond that he knew next to nothing about them.

The incredibly low levels of EXS in Mordecai was also of concern, because it meant that whatever it was that had allowed him to transform was entirely beyond the realm of understanding for Merkava.

Merkava looked up from the branches he was resting upon. The sky was dyed a deep, vibrant red. It was a bit too soon to be able hunt with the stealth he desired, but he could scope out the land in the meantime.

He uncoiled his body from tree and made his way to the ground. He’d stay here for a few more days, to give Mordecai a chance to revisit him should he-

“Do you have a moment?”

Merkava whipped around, having not realized he had been approached.

A large man, larger than Mordecai, stood there, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. His hair rivaled the shade of the setting sun in hue and reminded him of Waldstein’s massive mane, and his face was creased with stress lines that betrayed his advanced age.

Merkava couldn’t see a tail, but the negligible amounts of EXS within him lead him to believe this man was also a Laguz. Given how his previous encounter with Mordecai ended, he let this man take the initiative.

“Mordecai asked me to speak to you on his behalf; he lacks confidence in his ability to negotiate, but he’d like to give you a second chance and I trust his judgement.”

“Ah, he’s alive. That’s… good.”

Merkava had to choose his words carefully, knowing he had erred when he faced Mordecai. His survival was a relief, as it meant he had yet to have killed someone in Tellius, and the fact that negotiations were still on the table meant that his actions had yet to become unforgivable.

“Indeed. It was quite impressive, how far you threw him. He flew nearly halfway across the country and landed near the capital. May I ask for your name?”

“I go by Merkava. And you?”

“I am Caineghis, the former king of Gallia.”

“Oh, I beg your pardon. I was unaware-”

Caineghis laughed.

“It is no matter; I may have become accustomed to all the formalities of being royalty, but I never grew to like them.”

Merkava ceased his floundering about, a bit embarrassed he allowed himself to become that flustered.

“Regardless, I’d like to understand why you have been attacking travelers, and, if you’re capable of disclosing it, what you are, because you’re certainly not a Laguz. Mordecai mentioned that you’ve been ‘cursed’, but I’d like to hear it from you.”

“I have no intention of refusing, but if I did, what would happen?”

Caineghis’ slight frown turned a bit more into a scowl.

“In that case you would answer for you actions. Gallia does not pardon those who commit crimes without reason, and even less frequently to those who’ve harmed people here on official business. If you do not give us reason to believe that you should be spared whatever fate you’ve earned, then that will be the fate you’ve chosen.”

“That’s beyond fair, and I thank you for granting me this opportunity. My circumstances are a bit fantastical, but if you’re willing to hear me out I’d be greatly appreciative of it.”

And so, Merkava told Caineghis everything that he needed to know to understand why his hunger drove him to feed. His nature as an abnormal Void, what EXS was; he conveyed it all.

“There being another world isn’t incredibly believable, but I can… sympathize with the desire to maintain control over yourself, I suppose.”

“Oh?”

“There was a druid who created a potion that induced a permanent state of rage in anyone who consumed it, and I’ve been using my retirement to coordinate freeing his experimental subjects from their affliction.”

“Ah. Mordecai mentioned that someone had faced something similar, and that he was cured. Bertram, was it? I may be out of line in requesting this, but do you believe such a thing would work for me?”

“Hmmmmm.”

Caineghis paused, thinking upon Merkava’s proposition.

“Before we discuss that, I need to confirm something with you. You understand that, if you were to lose control again, we’d be under no obligation to hold back when subduing you?”

“Yes. Long ago I made peace with the fact that I will one day have to face the consequences of my actions, but if there may be a method that frees me of this hunger, even if it may result in my death, I’d like to pursue it.”

Caineghis studied Merkava’s face.

“Your conviction on this matter is strong, and I respect that. I’ve already discussed this with the man who should be able to help you, and he’d be willing to see you tonight.”

Merkava let out sigh of relief.

“However, as he is a member of another country’s royal family, I need to be clear that he’s doing this as a favor for me and that I’m doing this as a favor for Mordecai. If you make me regret giving you this chance, I’ll tear you apart myself. Am I understood?”

Caineghis’ voice was not angry, but the sternness of his words was a harsh reminder to Merkava that he was, to this man, a criminal seeking some type of rehabilitation with nothing to offer in turn.

“Your majesty,” Merkava bowed slightly, “I thank you again for this opportunity. As this is not something that I have experienced before, and it’s entirely possible that I, as the sole Void to retain their sense of self, have already been cured, so I cannot anticipate how I will respond to such a treatment -consciously or not. By all means, if I pose a risk to anyone, do not hesitate to dispatch me. You’ve already done far more for me than I could have asked for.”

Caineghis stared at Merkava for a moment.

“Were you, by any chance, a politician when you were a human? You have a way with words that reminds me of the bureaucrats who would try to get in my good graces through talk alone.”

Merkava let out a laugh.

“Perhaps that’s why my form as a Void resembles a snake.”

Caineghis in turn let out a chuckle.

“Ah, that’s right. I should be upfront about this, but even if you are fully freed from your hunger, I make no promises about you being exempt from any punishment for your actions.”

“Again, I’ve been willing to take responsibility for what I’ve done since the start.”

“It’s a shame we’re meeting under these circumstances, but what’s done is done.”

With a shrug, Caineghis glanced behind Merkava and nodded.

Merkava turned around to see a man of comparable build to Caineghis, clad in jet-black armor that matched the shade of his hair, be enveloped in a cloud of smoke. The smoke cleared within an instant, and where he stood there was now a large, jet-black lion that wasted no time in heading off to some other location.

“Oh?”

“That was my… an associate of mine. He’s going to travel ahead and inform Reyson that I’ll be returning with you.”

“I was primarily curious as to how it was that Laguz transformed, as Mordecai was…” Merkava cringed internally at remembering what happened the previous night, “out of my line of sight when he had transformed.”

“It’s not much more to us than flexing a muscle,” Caineghis shrugged again, indifferent to Merkava’s lack of understanding of innerworkings of Tellius’ most fantastical race, “We should be on our way as well. Give me a shout if you can’t keep up and I’ll slow my pace.”

Without waiting for a response from Merkava, Caineghis turned into a massive red lion and ran in the same direction Giffca had gone in.


	4. The part with the small amounts of body horror but its at the end and you won't miss much if you skip it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the previous chapter: Merkava negotiates with Caineghis. Giffca is there.

Merkava had no problem keeping up with the former king as they traversed the forest of Gallia. By the time they reached their destination, a fortress to the north, the sun had passed below the horizon and revealed the stars that it had outshined during the day.

“There’s a small courtyard in the center of this fortress, which is where we will be meeting them. If you have any reservations, now is the time to back out.”

“I tire of this endless hunger. If you are unable to cure it and I go mad, you’ll have no choice but to free me from it through… other means. I am sorry that I am asking you to shoulder such a burden, but please understand I have no other choice.”

Caineghis studied Merkava’s face again.

“Follow me.”

The lion lead him through the gates of the fortress and into the courtyard where three people stood together, waiting for them.

The man clad in black Merkava had seen before stood facing them. He raised an eyebrow at their appearance, but said nothing.

Two other men, both with wings, seemed to be arguing about something, but as Caineghis and Merkava approached they turned to see them.

The man with pristine white wings spoke as his face twisted into a grimace.

“Is this it? It freaks me out.”

“I apologize if this form unsettles you, but I am unable to change shape like Laguz are.”

He blinked, surprised that Merkava was able to speak before muttering loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I think I liked you better when you didn’t talk back.”

“Did Giffca not explain the situation to your liking?” Caineghis asked.

“He did,” the man with earthly brown wings spoke, “but even I can feel that something is off about this… ‘Murkada’, was it? Are you sure about this, Caineghis?”

Merkava held his tongue and did not correct this mispronunciation of his name.

“I am, Tibarn. I’ve been present for plenty of these so I’m more than familiar with the risks involved. Rest assured, Giffca and I will ensure your safety.”

The man who seemed to be named Tibarn shrugged as he turned to the other bird Laguz.

“How do you feel about this, Reyson?”

“I don’t like this, but as long as I’m not in danger I’ll do my part. If the two of you aren’t able to keep me safe, nobody in Tellius could.”

“If it would put you at ease, I could incapacitate myself…?” Merkava suggested, trying to make this less stressful for Reyson and Tibarn.

Merkava watched as the face of the man with white wings, whose name was apparently Reyson, twisted from disgust to discomfort and then slowly to a vague expression of morbid curiosity.

“…How?”

“Like this.”

Without waiting for a response, Merkava whipped his arms up, wrapping them around and around his own body until he ran out of arm to wrap with and then tied his wrists into a knot.

Caineghis let out an uncomfortable laugh as he looked towards Reyson and Tibarn, who were more on edge than they were before.

“I don’t think that helped calm them down much, Merkava.”

“It appears so. I’m sorry for any further discomfort I have-“

Reyson winced and held up a hand, silencing Merkava.

“Your voice is… let’s just get this over with.”

Caineghis moved from Merkava’s side to Reyson’s, flanking him alongside Giffca and Tibarn.

“I have no idea what you’re supposed to be,” Reyson continued, “so I can’t promise that this will work, but it may be in your best interest to lie down so you don’t hit your head.”

Merkava nodded and assumed his position on the floor.

“Caineghis, Giffca, you’re both ready?”

They both nodded.

“Okay…”

Reyson closed his eyes as he took a deep breath in.

As Reyson held that breath, doubt was beginning to creep up upon Merkava. He had no idea how he was going to be cured, but this sense of uncertainty faded as Reyson unfurled his wings and began to sing.

As a Void, Merkava was never really exposed to music. The most he had ever heard was glimpses of the music Phonon was listening to if her headphones were knocked off, or in the few instances when he had fought with Hilda, where she would have the most pretentious classical music possible piped in to whatever room she currently occupied.

And yet…

This song made him feel at peace.

He had no understanding of the lyrics, but it felt like he was being told ‘it’s going to be okay’.

It took Merkava a moment to realize it, but the hunger that constantly plagued him had begun to fade, almost as if he had just fed.

And yet…

Merkava’s skin began to crawl.

His body slowly began to feel as if it was burning up.

It hurt, but maybe this was supposed to hurt.

They were ripping out a fundamental part of Merkava’s existence, so it couldn’t possibly be painless, right?

It felt as if needles were being pushed into his body, slowly imbedding themselves deeper and deeper, inch by inch, until they came out the other side and a new set of needles were plunged through is flesh in their place.

It hurt, but Merkava endured the pain as best he could as Reyson’s song continued.

The sensation transformed from a sharp stinging sensation to one that was like he was being dragged behind a plane ready for takeoff, his skin being slowly ripped away as he was scraped along the asphalt, as if he was being held to a belt sander, losing bit by bit of his flesh until the vibrations began to reverberate through his bones as they were ground to dust.

It hurt, but Merkava grit his teeth and shifted slightly, trying to relieve his discomfort if only by a little bit.

It felt like millions of red-hot pliers, tearing away at his flesh, ripping away, ripping until there was nothing left of him but a pile of charred meat, and then it started again.

It hurt, and Merkava screamed in pain, desperate for his suffering to end.

On the border of his perception, Merkava noticed Giffca and Caineghis shift to their lion-like forms, and Reyson’s song falter.

He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t strike back in response. If this was how he was freed from his hunger, then the pain would be worth it.

“Keep going,” Merkava gasped, pleading Reyson to continue.

So Reyson continued.

But it hurt.

It hurt so much.

It hurt.

It hurt.

It hurt.

It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it-


	5. Ranulf does not get paid nearly enough to deal with this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the previous chapter: Merkava is freed from his eternal hunger. Or he died. Either/or.

Merkava regained consciousness slowly.

He found himself lying on a bed in a cell, probably in a jail or a prison. The bars looked weak enough to remove on his own, but Merkava considered-

His hunger was gone.

The realization hit him in the face like a brick. Based on shadows cast by the sunlight that made its way into the cell from the window, it seemed like it had been at least a day and a half since he last consumed EXS, and yet he felt no desire to feed.

It seemed like he had finally been freed from the hunger that constantly plagued him.

His body remained as a Void, but that was of no matter; he had grown accustomed to this form, and no longer having to attack others to satisfy some urge that had no basis in what he actually needed to survive just meant that he could live more freely now.

Merkava did not consider himself to be whimsical, but to be freed from the greatest drawback to being a Void would without a doubt be something he would benefit from.

 

He took stock of his situation again.

He was in a cell. The bars on the door were made of iron, something Merkava could easily bend if he wanted to escape, and the bars on the window were far enough apart that he could squeeze through.

The cell itself had a table with some bread on it and the bed Merkava was currently sitting upon.

These spartan living conditions served to underscore that Merkava’s crimes in this world had yet to be forgiven. It would likely aggravate his situation if he left his cell to inform whoever was responsible for him at the moment that he was now awake, so he decided to stay put.

The bread wasn’t firm enough to be older than maybe half a day, so while the jail seemed to be deserted, it shouldn’t be too long before someone came to check on him.

Maybe, to get the attention of somebody, he could wave his arms around outside of his cell like one of those inflatable men that are used at car dealerships…?

No, that would be hard to explain once someone noticed, and far too silly for someone like him. The idea did give him a good chuckle, but for now, Merkava was content to wait however long it took for someone to come check on him.

 

He didn’t have to wait for very long, as he began to hear two unfamiliar voices approach him.

“I still can’t believe he threw Mordecai all the way across Gallia!”

That voice seemed eager to meet Merkava, almost as if he considered him to be some kind of celebrity.

“I know that you’re impressed but please remember your position… sir.”

The voice that followed seemed exhausted beyond what words could describe.

“I know, I know. If people are going to accept me as king, I’m going to have to start acting like one. He should be in this area, right?”

“I’m over here,” Merkava called out.

Almost immediately someone rushed down the hall towards Merkava, and then slammed into the cell door, making Merkava jump.

“Caineghis?” Merkava muttered, startled by the sudden appearance of a red haired man.

But it couldn’t be him, could it? The young man before him was exactly that: far too young to be Caineghis. He could easily pass for a son, or maybe even a younger version of Caineghis, but there was no way he was the man himself.

“Do I really look that much like my uncle? I know he’s going to be a tough act to follow, but I don’t feel that we’re that similar.”

The other person, a blue Laguz with a much thinner build than any of the Laguz Merkava had met so far, vaguely reminiscent of a housecat, entered his view bearing a large frown.

“What did I just say, Skrimir?”

Skrimir held his head low.

“I need to act like a king… Sorry, Ranulf.”

“That’s right,” the new man, Ranulf, turned to Merkava, “How are you feeling?”

“My hunger is gone. Can I assume you understand what that entails?”

“Yup!” Skrimir beamed, “Uncle said that you’ve always been hungry and that was why you’d attack people, but that means that the galdr worked, which is great!”

“That’s… the gist of it, yes. The galdr was Reyson’s song, I assume?”

“That’s right! By the way,” Skrimir banged his fist against his chest, “I’m Skrimir, the new king of Gallia, and this is Ranulf, my right hand man.”

‘And only source of self-restraint, it seems,’ Merkava thought to himself as he gave Ranulf as sympathetic of a look as his face could convey.

“I gathered as much. What brings the two of you here today?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhh…”

“The sentencing, Skrimir.”

“Ah, yes!” Skrimir cupped his fist in his hand as if he had just received a flash of insight, “I don’t know how much my uncle told you, but you were brought to trial for what you had done and the sentencing was issued earlier today.”

“And Gallia holds trials without the defendant present?”

“That’s what was really weird, though! While you attacked a bunch of people, not a lot of them were willing to press charges! The first person we think you attacked, a priest on his way here to help treat some people injured during a brigand attack, only came to us because he was afraid that you would attack the town he accidentally directed you towards!”

“Ah, yes, him. I told him that I wouldn’t touch them, but either way I’m glad to hear he’s doing alright.”

“Doing alright? He’s doing better than alright! Everyone you’ve attacked has gotten way better at magic, and while you gave them all quite the scare most of them didn’t really care after they realized how much they’d improved. I’ve never been all that interested in magic but I’m really curious how you can just attack someone and have them get better at making fire and healing and stuff. Can you-”

“Skrimir.”

Ranulf’s voice was firm, yet simultaneously desperately pleading with Skrimir.

“Sorry, right, you’re supposed to be a criminal.”

“No, I understand,” Merkava again looked towards Ranulf instead of Skrimir to try to communicate his sympathy.

“Anyway!” Skrimir continued, “That’s not entirely unrelated to the sentence you got, but we’ll get to that. Despite nobody really coming forward to press charges, you did attack an officer of our military, and it’s important for us to hold people who do things like that accountable.”

“So, to answer your question earlier,” Ranulf interjected, “you went through our military court, not our civil court.”

“Yeah, I completely forgot to mention it. Mordecai did request that we go easy on you, which we factored in to your sentencing, which is to be placed under house arrest.”

“I… hope you’re aware that I don’t have a house to be confined within.”

Skrimir’s expression and tone suddenly became serious, surprising both Merkava and Ranulf.

“That’s only half of your sentence; the other half is to be responsible for the rehabilitation Mordecai needs as a result of you throwing him across Gallia. After that has been seen through, your sentence will be reevaluated and you will, if the court sees it appropriate, be considered reformed and set free.”

Skrimir held his expression for a moment, before he burst out laughing, as if to corpse.

“Don’t hurt yourself on my behalf.”

“I have to prove to Ranulf that I can take things seriously somehow, right?”

Ranulf let out a deep sigh.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Is Mordecai okay with me staying with him? I did attack him, after all.”

“Mordecai was the one who presented house arrest as an option, actually.”

“Ah… that’s unexpected.”

“Mordecai has always been a one-of-a-kind kind of guy,” Ranulf shrugged.

“Anyway!” Skrimir took the lull in the conversation as an opportunity to bring himself back into it, “Mordecai lives a little far away so if you’re up for it, we can leave now and make it there before nightfall.”

“I’m good to go.”

“Then let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this would be fun to write.  
> Turns out it was.
> 
> I’m definitely going to come back to this at some point to write what happens next, but I wanted to take a break from it and this felt like a good place to stop. I’ve yet to decide if this will be a ‘slow burn’ fic or if it will be more along the lines of ‘spontaneous combustion’, but I feel like this is roughly the halfway point in this fic if it’s not going to be a slow burn, so I’ll be doing at least three more chapters/scenes before I bring it to a close.  
> Throwing someone halfway across the continent is one hell of a C support, huh?
> 
> For the uninformed, In-Births are (usually) normal humans who had EXS enter their body after being attacked by a Void (turning them into an In-Birth and a super cool EXS container), and I’ve ‘translated’ that to be an equivalent to them ‘gaining’ Magic as a stat. Magic then acts as that person’s ‘maximum capacity’ for holding EXS, which they release upon using spells, staves, etc. and they then reabsorb it from the environment almost immediately. Getting an additional point would increase the amount of EXS they would be able to contain, which would in turn make their healing or spells stronger. Placing Merkava under house arrest was partially to satiate those who sought for him to be brought to justice, but it was also to hide him from any mages who would want him to ‘take a bite’ to increase their magical prowess.
> 
> Did you know? Valac is a goetic demon and his thing is to deliver snakes to the summoner. Merkava, like all Voids, is supposed to be snake-like so I performed some mental acrobatics to avoid having to do any more research for an oc that only exists for a single line.
> 
> Thanks for giving this as-of-now incomplete work a chance! I'll do my best to come back to it within a reasonable period of time!


End file.
